TheBanyanTree: So much for no snakes...

[Red Pepper]

I hope you don't mind me posting here a version of what I've just posted 
on my blog - but I can't think of too many different ways to tell the 
same story!  It's an update about our training for the Oxfam 
Trailwalker, in which we have to walk 100km as a team of four (ie. no 
relay - we all have to walk 100km). The walk is coming up in early 
April. Phil is my partner.
****
On Sunday (5th Feb), Marcus, Phil and I did a 38km training walk, almost 
3 full stages of the trail, ending up at the top of Mt Donna Buang - and 
we did it in 9 and 3/4 hours. This walk was a crucial test for my new 
Asics shoes - and I'm glad to say they performed beautifully. A few 
blisters, probably due to the gel inserts I used riding around and 
rubbing the side of my heel. The weather was lovely - cool in the 
morning, warming up when the clouds cleared around 11:30am, eventually 
getting to about 27 degrees (celsius).

We started in Wandin, off the Warburton Highway, where you can park if 
you are going to ride the Warburton rail trail. This is an old railway 
line that was ripped out many years ago, and has since been converted to 
a great cycling/walking trail.  The actual start of the stage is about 
5km further back, at Mt Evelyn Reserve. AJ couldn't join us because he 
hurt his back - by coughing. Sure! We think the missus might have given 
him a belting for not doing the dishes.

It was gorgeous in the morning. Our usual routine is to drive two cars 
to the end of the section we're walking, leave one car there, then drive 
to the start. (Marcus gets dropped off by the very kind Gaye, his wife, 
who drives him there from Hampton - often a one hour trip each way. A 
very big thank you to Gaye for supporting Marcus like this.) This means 
some very early mornings - up at 5:00 or 5:30am. But it's quite 
beautiful - on the way to Donna Buang, past Launching Place, the mist 
was sitting in the valleys and paddocks while the blush of the sun 
spread over the mountains. Driving up to the peak of Mt Donna Buang we 
saw at least half a dozen lyrebirds. For the non-natives, these are very 
lovely birds, resembling a pheasant I suppose, who have an amazing gift 
for mimicry. It's not uncommon to find yourself listening to the songs 
of 4 or 5 birds, then realise they are all coming from the same spot - 
that's a lyrebird. I've heard that the ones near civilisation can 
sometimes mimic circular saws and other human sounds. The "lyre" in the 
name is not a misspelling - it is due to the fact that the male's 
gorgeous tail resembles the fine structure of a lyre.

We saw quite a few other teams this time. I was very impressed by the 
three girls in matching blue tops who jogged past us - but I definitely 
won't be attempting that. There were also a couple of mixed teams of 
very fit-looking people who were probably gymbos of some description - 
quite intimidating. However we were the only ones on the final stage of 
the trail (maybe they finished it hours ahead of us?), though we did 
meet some other people coming back. Amazing how many Germans you 
encounter while bushwalking...

Marcus entertained us through the more tedious sections of the path with 
the trivia quizzes he downloaded onto his PDA. For those of you who 
don't know Marcus, he enjoys an intellectual challenge and it is very 
amusing to listen to him and Phil sparring. Probably more interesting 
than listening to Phil and I trying to win points off each other. The 
two boys did gang up on me when we got into a debate about the 
differences between male and female logic; I couldn't make them 
understand the distinctions and how to communicate more effectively with 
females, which just proves how deficient male logic is.

The track was good until we got to the start of the Donna Buang 
"stairmaster" section - mainly because we had walked on the flat, 
groomed Warburton rail trail to that point. They've slashed the first 
part of the Donna Buang walk, where you skirt the paddock, but there's a 
few blackberries and you have to avoid getting snagged. The track was 
still steep, no major earth movements since last time to relieve us of 
that particular hell, and I think I'm going to have to train more on 
stairs because it nearly kills me. The fact that we had just walked 
about 30 km didn't help, I suppose.

Also, I think I jinxed us in my last post by mentioning snakes - about 
200 metres up from the aqueduct, Phil nearly tripped over a large Tiger 
Snake (poisonous and often aggressive), which wasn't too pleased to see 
him. Phil reacted quickly, grabbing the snake by the neck while it 
thrashed around, curling its body around his arm, its fangs dripping 
poison. He gave it a quick kiss on the back of the head, then pinned it 
to the ground, quickly grabbed its tail and lasso-ed it into the bush. 
It was never seen again. Actually only the first part of that is true - 
the snake fortunately turned tail and scooted back into the bush, thank 
god, as Phil was only a couple of feet away and nearly climbed over 
Marcus (who was right behind him) to get away. I was much further back - 
pays to be slow sometimes.

I thought the Donna Buang track had degraded over the last 500 metres 
before the road, which runs across the face of the mountain, but Phil 
disagrees. Maybe this was the first time I had the energy to look around 
properly. I wonder how it will look after a thousand people have been 
over it in a short period. However, the top of the track, from the road 
up to the summit, is still very overgrown with tall weeds and grass, 
which makes me nervous with snakes around, plus it's annoying to get hit 
in the face all the time. Hopefully all the faster walkers will trample 
that down for us - or the parks people will slash it.

We had the discussion about how to work as a team. I don't expect the 
boys to walk every step with me, and feel that it might be more tiring 
for them to try and slow down instead of walking a natural pace, but 
they insisted it wasn't a problem for them and that the wellbeing of the 
team is paramount. I have to say I am very lucky that I am walking with 
3 blokes who are very considerate and really enjoy the team aspect of 
it. However the farting has to stop - so much for last week's post! I 
won't name names but Phil, you know who you are.

On Monday, we compared notes and everyone pulled up well - little 
stiffness, no injuries, and I could walk without pain. Looking good for 
100km. Phil and I are off for a couple of weeks so I'll update you again 
when we get back in early March. Thanks to people who have donated since 
last post - Chee Kong and David. And thanks to the people who have 
promised donations - I'll be in touch when I get back! :)
Next challenge - an OVERNIGHT training walk...